1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic holding device for knives. More specifically, it relates to a magnetic holding device that enables a user to safely and easily store individual knives in a drawer or hang individual knives on kitchen utensil racks without damaging or dulling the cutting surface of the knife.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Current methods for storing cutlery, such as knife blocks and magnetic knife racks, have various shortcomings. For example, traditional slotted knife blocks provide limited visibility of the cutting edge, increase safety risks due to trapped bio-debris, have poor ergonomic design, facilitate premature dulling of blades, and waste counter space. Similarly, magnetic knife racks that hang on the wall have ergonomic challenges that expose the user to incidental contact with the cutting edge. Current magnetic knife racks damage blades due to cutting edge metal on metal contact or direct contact of the cutting edge with strong magnets which magnetize the edge, causing metal shavings to adhere to and damage the blade during sharpening. Magnetic knife racks are also generally limited in the orientation they can be mounted.
Current methods of magnetically holding knives have limitations in their safety, usability, and cost because of the way holding force is applied to the blade. They rely primarily on strong magnetic force to pull the blade into the attachment face in normal relation thereto, but neglect to maximize the sliding friction force parallel to the attachment face. They also neglect to design for rotational forces; for example, if the center of gravity of the knife is out of alignment with the magnetic holding point and the direction of gravity, the blade is susceptible to slipping, sliding or rotating, thus limiting the orientation the knife can be stored to the vertical direction. Two design methods are practiced to compensate for this limitation in conventional magnetic knife holders. First, additional mechanical holding points are added, such as a ledge or slot for the blade to rest on or another point of contact with the knife such as the bolster of the handle. This adds to the complexity of the device and limits the orientation in which it can be used. The second method is to increase the magnetic force, which increases friction between the blade and contact face. The stronger the magnetic force is, however, the harder it is for the user to remove the blade. Strong magnetic forces create usability problems such as the need for permanent mechanical attachment of the holder to the storage surface or large holder mass to resist the pulling force of a user trying to remove the blade. More concerning is the jerking movement of the knife blade at it is released, creating a serious safety issue. High attachment force also creates usability problems on attachment because the knife tends to be abruptly jerked away from the hand of the user, causing less control over the attachment orientation of the knife and blade damage because it is slammed against the attachment surface.
Current knife guards require a two-sided mechanism having an enclosed space for holding the knife blade securely. The blade is held between two surfaces by mechanical entrapment or is held between two magnetic surfaces by magnetic attraction. There are several disadvantages to a two-sided knife guard having an enclosed space. Because the enclosed space is hard to clean, it can become unsanitary. Similarly, water trapped in the enclosed space can damage the blade. Where a mechanism for closure is used, such as a hinge, this ads to the complexity, cost, and potential for fatigue failure over time. Two sided knife guards also hide the knife blades from view, which makes selection of the correct knife more difficult and reduces the aesthetic appeal of the knife, making it undesirable to hang or display on a utensil rack. Moreover, there is a significant ergonomic disadvantage to a two-sided knife guard having an enclosed space because it requires two hands to apply the guard to the knife blade and two hands to remove the guard. This is inconvenient for a Chef in a kitchen. It is also a safety hazard because the hand holding the guard can be cut when the knife is being inserted in the guard if the blade slips out or the guard fails.
A knife guard and holding device is needed that allows a user to safely and easily store individual knives in a drawer or hang individual knives on kitchen utensil racks without damaging or dulling the cutting surface of the knife. However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art how the limitations of the art could be overcome.